


Noisy Neighbours

by SamCyberCat



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, sorry it's not actually porn, they just talk about it enough that i thought it warranted that rating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 14:45:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16266380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: When Natsuya and Nao move into the apartment above them, Makoto and Kisumi are glad that their friends are going to be their new neighbours. But it doesn't take long of having to be an unwilling audience to Natsuya's noise before the appeal wears off...





	Noisy Neighbours

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Love Free! Week, Day Five, Prompt B: What is something they refuse to do?

“So since Nao liked the neighbourhood so much when he visited us, when the apartment upstairs freed up I figured it'd be worth suggesting to him,” Kisumi explained, as he scrubbed dishes clean over at the sink, “They were both taken with it and just like that, we've got new neighbours.”

“That's great news! It's always nice to have friends closer to us,” Makoto replied, “I'm not sure I fully understand their situation though – Are both Natsuya and Nao going to be living there or is it just Nao?”

Kisumi turned to look at him and made a show of rolling his eyes that practically answered that question on its own; “Well, you know what Natsuya's like. Apparently he's going to come and go as he feels, but Nao wanted him on the tenancy agreement to give him more motivation to stick around when his wandering spirit needs resting. Because honestly? Friend or no friend, my Uncle Katsumi will rain down hard on him if he doesn't keep up the payments.”

The thought of Kisumi's uncle getting angry about anything was almost impossible for Makoto to picture – the guy was so jolly and cheerful, just like Kisumi himself. In the years they'd been together, Makoto had seen many sides of Kisumi, but all of it had helped make their relationship stronger.

He was about to open his mouth to say something to this effect, when he was suddenly drowned out by a muffled cry from upstairs. Both Makoto and Kisumi's heads shot up in alarm.

“Was that Natsuya?” Kisumi asked.

“It sounded like him.”

Soon enough, they didn't need any confirmation as to whether or not the noise they'd heard was Natsuya. That one cry wasn't the only one. There were lots more, combined with the thumping of what sounded like a chair being shifted in a repetitive motion from the room upstairs. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. Makoto and Kisumi looked at each other, red-faced.

“Hah... well, I guess the 'thin walls and floorboards' downside of this apartment is finally coming back to bite us on the ass,” Kisumi awkwardly chuckled, trying to make light of it.

Makoto shrugged; “They've got got their first place together. Can't blame them for being excited about it, can we? I'm sure they'll settle down soon enough.”

***

Natsuya and Nao did not settle down soon enough.

Their routine became like clockwork – Natsuya would go off roaming somewhere, this would last maybe a few days to a week at most, then he'd come back home and Nao would go at it with him like a jackrabbit. All while Kisumi and Makoto had to pretend they couldn't hear them from the apartment downstairs.

By week four, it was getting too much. Makoto had reread the same line of his book several times without actually taking in what it was saying. What was supposed to be an educational exert on the benefits of swimming with dogs was instead becoming more the tale of a very different kind of doggy style – because that was definitely what they were doing up there this time.

He looked across at where Kisumi was snuggled up to him on the sofa and they nodded in agreement.

“We have to let them know we can hear them.”

“But how?” Kisumi sighed, “It's been long enough now that if we brought it up, they'll know we've been able to hear them this whole time. We don't want to embarrass them.”

Natsuya gave an involved cry from above them. He was always the noisiest between the two. Nao sure knew how to keep him coming back home...

“I'm not sure if those two can get embarrassed,” said Makoto, “We should just... head up there now and politely ask them to keep the noise down.”

“Yeah, let's do that,” Kisumi agreed.

Neither of them made any effort to move from the sofa. Above them, the floorboards creaked as Nao undoubtedly switched positions and then Natsuya was wailing out again.

“Or we could... just mention it the next time we see them around,” said Makoto.

“I think I like the sound of that more,” Kisumi quickly agreed.

***

The next time Makoto saw Natsuya in person, it was when he was taking a bag of rubbish down to the bins outside the apartment block and Natsuya passed him on the way inside. In his usual manner, Natsuya had been gone for a few days, but from the way his rucksack was draped over his shoulder, he was clearly coming back home to Nao. And back home to make a noise that Makoto and Kisumi would once again have to sit through.

It was now or never. Makoto took a deep breath.

“Hey, Makoto! How've you been?” Natsuya called.

He bounded over and gave Makoto a hearty slap on the shoulder. This was the guy who'd been Makoto's senior in middle school, one of the captains of his swim team. Makoto had so much respect for both Natsuya and Nao... To be faced with a situation like this, Makoto just froze up. How was he going to say such a thing? Especially without Kisumi to back him up.

“I've been doing, um... okay,” Makoto mumbled, “Just busy with work, like always...”

“Same! Same!” Natsuya cheered, “But sometimes even hardworking guys like us need to take a break, you know? Well, I'd better go get this washing in the machine before Nao complains that it's stinking out the apartment again. See you around, Makoto.”

“Yeah, see you...”

Makoto watched haplessly as Natsuya turned to head away. Suddenly both of their evenings were flashing before Makoto's eyes.

Yet when Natsuya got to the door that led inside, he seemed to remember something and turned to face Makoto.

“Oh yeah, before I forget, we can hear your washing machine from through the floor. You guys might want to look into getting it replaced if it's an older model. I bet we're not the only ones who can hear it,” Natsuya chimed.

And then he was gone. Off to make more noise than Makoto and Kisumi's washing machine was going to make.

***

During week eight, even the patience of two generally reasonable people like Makoto and Kisumi was tested. The bags under Kisumi's eyes were pronounced, standing out against his usually pink face. He turned to look at Makoto, as what sounded like a whip cracking against... eh, it was probably Natsuya's ass, could just be made out from above them.

“I can't take this any more, we have to tell them,” Kisumi said, “What if Hayato comes to visit and they're at it? It doesn't seem as if those guys are bothered about what time of day they do this.”

“I've tried bringing it up, but I always end up a stammering mess,” said Makoto, “Natsuya would probably just laugh it off and think I was making a joke and Nao... well, have you seen that calm smile of his? I can't look him in the eyes and say, 'I know you're a dominatrix, Nao'. I just can't!”

Kisumi shook his head; “I haven't had much luck either. Heck, I even checked the records at work to see if there'd been any official complaints lodged about them, but the apartment above them is empty, so we might be the only people affected by this...”

For a moment, both of them considered the possibility of lodging an official complaint themselves. But they soon dropped the idea with heavy sighs. It didn't feel right to report their friends and if they were the only immediate neighbours, it'd be obvious that the complaint had come from them.

“Next time I have to show anyone around the vacant apartments here, I'll feel like I have to give them a heads up,” said Kisumi.

“Don't worry, I'm sure Natsuya will be capable of giving them one all on his own if you're showing someone around the apartment above them,” Makoto grumbled, “This is just ridiculous, Kisumi... It's not as if either of us are shy about sex, but we're still more respectful of the noise we make than those two are.”

“I think we're into... tamer things than they are,” Kisumi whispered, the pink returning to his face.

He wasn't wrong about that. For all Kisumi had always been loud and flirtatious, he actually wasn't hugely into sex, caring more about the intimacy of just being close to the person he loved. Makoto was the more adventurous one of the two, but even then, they were a pretty vanilla couple. Especially compared to... certain neighbours.

“We just have to get loud. Louder than they are,” Makoto insisted, “I know it's not how we usually do this, but maybe that way we can give them the message without actually having to confront them about this.”

Kisumi nodded; “Anything to make them- ...stop?”

There was suddenly silence from upstairs. The floorboards weren't so thin as they could've heard Makoto and Kisumi talking about them, but even so they fell silent.

As they listened, there was a series of creaks that sounded like two people scrambling to get up and then one person calmly walking across to a door. After that, they heard the faint mumbling of two voices and what sounded like laughter, before the door closed again.

Then there was silence. Makoto glanced at Kisumi, but neither of them dared say a word for several seconds.

“...Do you think it's over?” Makoto eventually asked.

As if to answer that question, there was a knock on their own door. Was it the police? Had there been a noise complaint after all? They both scrambled up and hurried to answer the door, only to find...

“Haru?” Makoto gasped.

“Makoto. Kisumi,” Haru said, giving a nod to each of them, “I've not got training this afternoon, so I thought I'd stop by. Also, I fixed your problem upstairs. You're welcome.”

“Haru! You're the best!” Kisumi cheered.

Both Makoto and Kisumi surged forward to grab Haru in a tight hug, which Haru received indifferently. When Makoto pulled back, he beamed down at Haru.

“But how did you know?” he asked.

“Kisumi made some vague post about the noise on Facebook and I figured it out,” Haru answered.

Makoto wasn't sure which part surprised him more – that it was an irritated vague post that had done the trick or the fact that Haru checked Facebook at all.

“I lurk online sometimes,” said Haru, as if answering Makoto's unspoken question.

“Well, you don't have to lurk here!” Makoto assured, “Come in! I'll get out the wine we've been saving and we can have a celebration.”

Haru raised his eyebrow; “...Is me telling your neighbours to keep it down seriously that much of an event?”

“Trust us, it is,” Kisumi assured, “And I'll get some mackerel on the grill. Only the best for our hero, Haru.”

The corner of Haru's mouth did turn up when he heard that. Haru could never resist his favourite food, after all. They ushered him in and closed the door behind him.

“So did they take it okay?” Makoto checked, “We didn't want to embarrass them.”

“They thought it was funny,” said Haru, “Nao even said that if you two ever wanted to try and match their noise sometime, he'd be up for the challenge.” Then Haru smirked at how brightly both of them blushed to that; “...Just kidding. They said they'd keep it down from now on.”

“Maybe next time they're looking for an apartment together, I'll take wall thickness into consideration when showing them potential places,” Kisumi replied.

“And warn the neighbours that they're coming,” joked Makoto.

“They can do that on their own,” said Kisumi.

After the last two months of living beneath Natsuya and Nao, Makoto was inclined to agree that they could. But now that Makoto and Kisumi were going to get a good night's sleep for the first time this week, he was suddenly feeling on top of the world. Sometimes you needed to be as blunt as Haru to get by, Makoto decided.


End file.
